78 User Reviews of Norwegian Dawn Cruise Ship

Boarding was easy. not time consumming as advertized. The ship
was perfect and new. Our only complaint is that they were charging
"extras" and trying to suck every dollar possible at every turn.
Examples: In three of the ten restaurants there was a "cover
charge" and even in these restaurants if you ordered certain items
(steak and lobster) there was a further charge of $25 per person.
The rest of the restaurants were just fine. They have a beautiful
exercize room

There is a $10 charge per person per day for tips for service
personnel. That was OK with us.We were not stopped from bringing on
board our own liquor as is advertized. Ports of call were all
pretty much the same. Shore excursions were expensive, and we got
much the same from independants on shore for less that half the
price charged by NCL. Debarking was a zoo. We arrived in port of NY
at 07:30 am and couldn't get off until after 11 am. Some had planes
to catch and missed connections.

This is my second cruise with Norwegian Cruise Lines - we were
on the Sea last April and enjoyed it immensely.

EMBARKATION/SHIP: We got to the pier about 11:15 and we weren't
supposed to be let on till noon but since they docked the day
before, they must have had plenty of time to get the ship ready as
we were on by 11:40. After reading all the horror stories, I
figured embarkation would have been a nightmare but it was a
breeze. We entered on Deck 6 and made our way up to our Deck (9).
We were cabin 9008 with a private balcony (which I HIGHLY
recommend!). The cabin was really nice. There were three of us and
we didn't feel cramped until at night when they opened the sofa
bed. Because of the corner table/shelf, we had to climb over the
beds to get to the balcony - but we got used to it. We had heard
that there was limited space for clothes, etc. but we made good use
of the many shelves, etc. and the three of us had no problem
fitting our stuff all

over the place. The private balcony is HEAVENLY and well worth the
extra $315 to upgrade from an inside cabin. The ship is beautiful -
so clean and bright colors everywhere.

The carpeting in our hallway was teal with different colored sea
horses, shells, etc. - very tropical. What I was most impressed
with on this ship is the Stardust Theater - it is HUGE! I am in the
theater business and was very impressed with it. The pool deck was
big and plenty of room for everyone. There are four hot tubs on the
pool deck and one in the aft of the ship on the sun deck. Also, the
kids area has a hot tub and I heard many adults say that they used
it in the evenings because there were no kids around and the other
adults weren't aware they could use it. But I never had a problem
getting into any of the "real" grown-up hot tubs.

FOOD: I have to admit that the only place we ate was in the
Garden Café and I was very pleased with the variety they
had. There were also 2-3 "action stations" in there where they make
omelettes, waffles, sandwiches, tacos, etc. And the dessert buffet
is delightful (love the "make your own sundaes"!!). I heard that
the other restaurants were very good but we did not partake in
them.

ENTERTAINMENT: OUTSTANDING!!! The Jean Ann Ryan Company puts on
three wonderful shows. You must not miss "South Beach" or
"Bollywood" (note to future cruisers: if you go to the Bollywood
Show, sit fourth row, dead center and you will be in for a fun
surprise in the beginning of the show!). They had three guest
performers: a comedian, Dave Heenan, who we did not care for. David
Lucas, a juggler/comedian/musician (sounds weird, huh?! We thought
so too and almost didn't go but he was AMAZING!) And Dominique Ava,
a contemporary violinist who was outstanding.

CREW/SERVICE: Can't be beat! Our stewardesses were unbelievably
friendly and helpful (Thanks Sonja and Ping! : ). Everyone was just
so friendly and always smiling.

PORT CANAVERAL/ORLANDO: LOL - I have a good story for this port!
We got an excursion to Universal Studios Islands of Adventure and
we were supposed to depart in our bus to Orlando at 8:30 am. Well,
because customs didn't clear the ship till almost 9:30, we got a
late start. Then we found out that they were picking us up at 5 pm
and we were worried we wouldn't have enough time to do everything
(the park closed at 7 and we weren't sailing till 10 so we didn't
understand the early pick up time). Half way to Orlando, we started
to smell a burning oil smell. I jokingly said to my sister "Watch
the bus break down!". Well, within 5 minutes, we were pulled over
and everyone was off the bus. The back of the bus was burning and
black and there was oil all over the road. Another bus came about
30 minutes later and got us to the park. Luckily, we were able to
hit all the rides, etc. before our 5 pm pick-up.

MIAMI: Have never been there and loved it! We bought the Queen
Bay Cruise/South Beach Tour excursion and it was great. We saw a
bunch of stars homes and they let you shop in BaySide for a little
while. That night, there was a South Beach Party on board.

NASSAU: we were there last year and enjoyed it. We did a few new
things this year. My sister is a history nut and so we went to Fort
Charlotte (very interesting with underground caves, etc.) and Fort
Fincastle and we also climbed to the top of the water tower
(beautiful views!). We also went to Ardastra Gardens - a
conservation/zoo, which we enjoyed. If you are an animal lover
(especially birds), this is a fun place. And they have an adorable
pot bellied pig that just roams around - too cute!

GREAT STIRRUP CAY (NCL's private island): GORGEOUS, GORGEOUS,
GORGEOUS!!!! I loved this island last year and I loved it again
this year!!! I could live there.

The days at sea were not as good, weather-wise, as our last
cruise. It rained for ¾ of the first day and the last day it
was very cold and windy but there is plenty to do inside.

We loved this cruise and we are planning to go on it again early
2005.

BAHAMAS AND FLORIDA FROM NEW YORK CHECK IN - GREAT 20 MINITES
FROM CAB TO ENTERING CABIN

Cabin - Poor Small inside state room 5th deck bathroom not
cleaned good enough end of the cruisewe found a pee stain on the
mattress cover(they did nothing to make up for it) I didnt even
meet my cabin stewart till the last day of the cruise when I
complained about the bed.

Over all look of the ship- Great 10th cruise I have taken and it
was the best looking pool could have been bigger.

Shore Excursions- Poor Port Canaveral - Wet and Wild water park
A ton of mistakes were made, to many to list Nassau - Discover
Atlantis / Harbor cruise harbor cruise was a joke less than 10 min.
It would have been faster cheaper and alot less walking if I would
have taken a cab. $8 for cab both ways and $25 to get in Atlantis
aquarium. Great Stirrup Cay rented snorkeling equipment great day
really nice water

Somewhere off the coast of Grenada while sipping a perfect
Martini during Norwegian Dawn's repositioning cruise from Miami to
New York via the Caribbean and New England it dawned on me - if
you'll pardon the pun - that I was witnessing the (re)birth of a
cruise line. I was aboard a brand new ship that seemed to be an
innovative hybrid. She is part traditional, part wildly radical in
concept.

She is lavishly and uniquely appointed. Her crew is genuinely
warm and attentive. Service is efficient yet unobtrusive. In fact I
kept wondering if this was NCL. Each time I needed assistance at
the Purser, Shore Excursion or Dive-In desks I found the
professionalism to be high and a concern for resolving the problem
quickly and to my satisfaction.

Cuisine is varied, inventive, tasty and of high quality. There
is talented entertainment in every lounge. She's part art museum
and exclusive resort. The art on display throughout the ship is
literally masterful; her furnishings artful. Norwegian Dawn not
only carries works of art, she is a work of art. The attention to
detail shows from the quality of her contemporary chandeliers to
the

now round the clock availability of NCL's famous cookies in Blue
Lagoon Café (once only available during 4-5pm snack time).

There's a feast around every corner both visually and
gastronomically. Her ten restaurants range from greasy spoon to
silver spoon. Passengers can dine amidst impressive neon or
impressionists. The Impressionists: Renoir, Matisse, Monet, Van
Gogh. One can dine on A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande
Jatte (well, actually a lovely Seurat reproduction) - even on a
Tuesday if preferred. Choices range from Mac 'n Cheese to Mignon
with Champagne any day of the week. Special requests were honored
in the dining room within reason. A fellow diner asked if he could
have a white sauce instead of red on that day's specialty pasta in
the Trattoria. "Of course" was the reply. I asked if a particular
featured ingredient could be omitted from an entrée served
in one of the main dining rooms. "Absolutely!" A Maitre D'
overheard my comment that maybe we could skip dessert, enjoy some
entertainment and then go to another quieter formal dining room
solely for dessert and coffee later on. The Maitre D' politely
interjected "We would be delighted if you chose to do so."

Cabin décor is plush in every category and range from
economically cozy insides to vast apartments boasting two and even
three bedrooms with balconies and private decks.

There is very little "old NCL" about the m/s Norwegian Dawn. Had
she debuted as the first ship in a brand new cruise line, this
vessel would immediately be classified as premium plus. Her
hallmarks would be hailed as superior to Holland America. Her chic
would easily exceed Celebrity. She'd royally conquer Princess. Her
innovations are more universally appealing than rock climbing
walls. And her whimsical and bold interiors are more festive and
yet classier than the floating Carnival midways.

Norwegian Dawn is that good. She's sexy. She sizzles! Her
interiors are seductive.

However, this masterpiece isn't completely flawless. Even a
diamond can be imperfect.

First and foremost, as wonderful as Norwegian Dawn is, she must
defy the reputation of her heritage. NCL, once the big kid on the
block in the 1970's and most of the 1980's suffered some self
inflicted stormy seas. The line bankrupted several acquired and
much loved cruise lines. In the late 1990's the cruise line nearly
dived into the brink itself and shipboard quality across an
inadequate fleet suffered. NCL's passenger ratings plummeted as
quality took a nosedive and service became nearly non-existent. NCL
has disappointed and alienated thousands of dissatisfied passengers
who when asked about the cruise line often repeat the mantra "never
again." The cruise line does have many loyalists due in great part
to the popularity of its former flagship s/s Norway. I count myself
included in this category. The great blue dame is my favorite
ship.

NCL must somehow convince travel agents and potential passengers
alike to give them one more chance. A cruise on Norwegian Dawn is
almost guaranteed to convert most into believers.

This leads me to Norwegian Dawn's second flaw - or more to the
point NCL's. Anyone sailing with the line for the first time aboard
this ship will no doubt feel let down should they sail on her
fleetmates, with the exception of near twin and slightly elder
sister Norwegian Star. As comfortable, tasteful and satisfying as
the other ships in the fleet may be on their own, they can't
compete with Norwegian Dawn. Norwegian Sun and Norwegian Sky come
closest in style, shipboard amenities and features on a smaller
scale by nearly a third. However NCL will need to be inventive and
honest when marketing the various other members of its fleet. A
cruise on Norwegian Majesty or Sea is not nearly in the same league
as Dawn in just about every respect. I'm speaking from experience,
having sailed aboard nearly every class of ship in the NCL fleet on
roughly 15 of my 33 cruises. I'm even reconsidering my own booking
later this year for Norwegian Dream's long repositioning cruise. It
may pale in comparison.

The next major flaw I observed was service in the main dining
rooms which are completely open seating for dinner. Much has been
written about NCL's "freestyle" (tm) concept so I won't detail how
it works (a full explanation is available on the line's website:
http://www.ncl.com ). Service, while good overall, is inconsistent.
I'll provide a real example to illustrate. Prior to this cruise I
met several people online that were also aboard. Our group grew as
we met others and periodically a dozen or more of us would dine
together. We were often offered adjoining tables as the fastest way
of being seated. One night we arrived early enough to catch the
late performance of the evening's production show. One table was
finished and seated in the theater with twenty minutes to spare.
The other table was first being served entrees when the final
curtain came down after the show's finale.

This is completely unacceptable and I'm not sure what the answer
is except that there seems to be a lack of 'extra hands' floating
around the dining room. Aboard ships with traditional dining,
section captains or assistant Maitre D's usually fill in as needed
to keep things moving at a reasonable pace. If this concept exists
on Norwegian Dawn, I didn't observe it. I did notice that when
dining during off-peak hours service was nearly flawless. It was
rare to wait more than three to five minutes to be seated as long
as one avoided arriving as the early show was letting out. I was
surprised at how many chose to see the 7:30pm show first and then
eat a leisurely dinner afterwards. I settled in to a 9pm dining
time with some friends during the second half of the cruise. By
then the 8:30 rush had ended and tables emptied in anticipation of
the late show at 9:30pm.

The final major problem, as I see it (I tend to ignore minor
problems that can occur on any ship), is that freestyle dining is
not solo cruiser friendly. As mentioned, I had many new friends
aboard with whom I dined. But on three port day evenings I found
myself on my own as most of them (nearly all couples) chose
intensive days of touring and turned in early. I quickly learned
that being able to share a table isn't as easy as NCL portrays.
Each time I was greeted with "oh, we'll have to open a new table
for you" as if it would be a problem. One night I was told in all
three main restaurants "I'm sorry, but we don't have any shares
available tonight." I was appalled. To make matters worse, one
hostess having just told me to wait a few moments returned and
asked "will that be a table for two?" I was flabbergasted and she
quickly knew it! I wasn't alone in this experience. One of the
other guys related a similar story later on in the cruise. NCL
doesn't seem to know how to handle singles for dinner although
there seems to be a very sensible solution. Each night there's a
single get together listed in the daily program for late evening
cocktails. Why not list "singles meet for dinner" and vary the
restaurant each evening? This was the first comment included on my
comment card.

These annoyances notwithstanding, I disembarked Norwegian Dawn
feeling well rested with the impression that I had just experienced
a very unique and classy ship. I felt that I had received more than
my money's worth. I just have one wish - that Norwegian Dawn's
newly announced longer ten and eleven day itineraries from New York
City will be expanded. Seven days aboard this glamour gal won't be
nearly enough. Neither is just one cruise. Next time you are
aboard, look around. You just might find me back!

Major compdlaint on the Norwegian Dawn concerns the 4 mid-ship
elevators,which run from deck 4 to deck 13.

Upon exiting these elevators, each passenger is confronted with
a portrait, by Andy Warhol, of an unsmiling Mao Tse Tung, which
appearin different colors. They can't be missed, they are quite
prominently displayed on the opposite wall.

As a veteran of both Korea and Vietnam, I am reminded of the
thousands of American servicemen, and also our Allies, who are
dead, because of Chinese intervention in these conflicts, primarily
under the leadership of Chairman Mao.

I am outraged and insulted that Norweigan Cruise Lines has
chosen such poor taste in this display. It is an affront to every
American that sails on this otherwise magnificent ship.

I have outlined my complaint in a letter to NCL and am calling
for a boycott of all their ships by patriotic Americans, until the
portraits are removed and a public apology is issued.

Hubby and I flew from CA to Miami the day before the cruise. We
stayed overnight at the Holiday Inn Miami International Airport on
South Royal Poninica Ave. The room was nothing special, the main
enticement here was that they provide a free shuttle to the pier.
Embarkation was a breeze. It took only about 20 minutes from the
time we stepped into the terminal until we were in our Stateroom. A
month before the cruise we received a free upgrade from a deck 8
forward balcony cabin to a deck 9 mid ship balcony cabin.

Before the cruise I began chatting with several my fellow
cruisemates who I met through the Cruise Critic website. I
encourage everyone to join this site. There were a total of 112 of
us who met in person in the Dazzles lounge the day after sail. What
a wonderful, fun, friendly, and crazy group of folks. We got
together throughout the cruise and did many excursions together as
well as a group dinner. It was a total blast, and made the cruise
extra special for all involved.

Excursions: Book your own, it is much cheaper ! Montego Bay -
Can't comment we stayed on the boat

Aruba - We did a snorkeling excursion to the wreck of the
Antilla. The water was very rough & choppy but the wreck itself
was worth the trip. It takes about 40 minutes out to the site via
boat from the cruise dock. Also, did a round the island tour with a
taxi driver. This guy was good! We were gone 2.5 hours, and he only
charged us $15 each.

Curacao - Took the ship sponsored excursion to Caracas Bay. This
was a really great spot. It is a sunken tugboat with tons of
various tropical ship. Highly recommended! Grenada - Kathy one of
the CC'rs (cruise critics) hosted a group of 55 CC'rs on a tour of
this beautiful island through a company called Mandoo Tours, check
his website on the Internet. I highly recommend taking one of his
tours. Because our group was so large we paid $25 each for a 5-6
hour tour, taking in the plantations and falls, as well as the rest
of the island. Thanks Kathy!

Dominica - There were 14 of the CC'rs on this trip. We took Ken
Hinterlands tour he also has a website. Went around this fabulous
island then to Trafalgar Falls and Ti Tou Gorge. Because our group
was over 4 people the cost was $25 each for a 3-4 hour tour. I
highly recommend this tour also.

Tortola - Took a cab from the dock with yet more CC'rs to Cane
Garden Bay Resort. The scenery is unreal. What a beautiful place.
We swam, and rented lounge chairs for $5 a piece. We asked the taxi
driver to pick us up in 3 hours and he was there right on time. I
can't remember the price for the cab but I think it was about $8
per person round trip. You pay the driver when he returns you to
the ship. Its a bargain.

St. Thomas - got off the boat and into a taxi/open air van for a
2 hour island tour. Cost is $20 per person. Then ate lunch and went
to Sapphire Beach Resort. This is another Kodak moment. It was so
beautiful there. Water is very rough though. We rented lounge
chairs for $5 each, and snorkeling equipment for $5 per person for
one hour. Watch the snorkeling equipment! We received a total of 2
broken fins, and 1 fin which strap broke shortly after I put them
on. They need to invest more money in better equipment.

Newport, Rhode Island - I fell in love with this place. We
walked 2 blocks and took the trolley to see the mansions. We did
not get off to see the inside of the mansions but did very much
enjoy the ride. They have all kinds of cute little shops on Thames
Street and elsewhere. Lots of wealth in this town.

Martha's Vineyard - We had 60mph winds and overcast weather
while here. Stu, another CC'r had arranged a walking tour with a
woman from the Historical Society. There were 14 CC'rs who boarded
a public bus $5 per person all day pass, and went to meet her. Boy
am I glad we went on this tour. The woman was a total RIOT!!! She
had the best personality, not only was she entertaining, but she
was extremely articulate as well. I really enjoyed my time here as
well, with one exception. The tender ride back to the ship was a
harrowing experience. As I mentioned there was 60mph winds so the
seas were really rough. You know it is bad when they hand out "Barf
Bags" when you get on board. There were some ladies in our tender
who thought it was funny to laugh and scream as those LARGE WAVES,
brutilized our tenders. What a bunch of pycho's!!!!

Disembarkation in NY was a fiasco. They did NOT begin letting
people off of the ship until 2 hours after they were supposed too.
Needless to say there were a lot of angry folks. One of the CCr's
waited 3 hours for a taxi after getting off of the ship!!! Lots of
folks missed their flights. We made it to the Newark airport just
in the nick of time. Thank goodness there were only 5 people in
front of us in the security line. Now I know why many of the
airlines are filing bankruptcy. All in all it was a fantastic trip,
made all the more special by our Cruise Critic buddies. Thanks
everyone! Keep checking those cruise boards for more from
Paljoeysmom.

God bless, wishing you all the best, health, happiness, and
prosperity. Hope to see you on a future cruise.

Recently returned from our cruise on NCL. We had a great time.
Embarkation went fairly well. We arrived at the pier by 11:30 and
were on the ship by 1:15. Some of our group went with airfare and
transfers provided by the cruise line and had to wait for 2 hours
at the airport for a shuttle. Needless to say they were not
pleased.

Food - was excellent and the freestyle gave you flexibility. We
did not dine in any of the extra charge restruants because we were
a family of five and had spent enough on cruise fares. Main
diningrooms were fine and they each have the same menu each night.
Salsa's was very good but you need to make reservations ahead of
time. Thursday is lobster night and it was excellent. Don't be shy
about ordering extra. It was no problem to do so.

Drinks- Pop card is well worth the 28.50. If you are a beer
drinker I suggest buying by the bucket. You get 6 beers for 16.00
domestic and 19.00 for imports. Otherwise a glass of beer costs $4.
If you like wine with dinner I

suggest you order some bottles ahead of time. They deliver them to
the cabin on the first day or when you tell them you want it. We
paid 18 to 20 per bottle and saved 5 - 6 dollars. They allow you to
take it into the dining rooms to drink with dinner. Be aware that
the drinks in the fancy glasses will cost you $8+. If you want the
drink just ask for a regular glass.

Entertainment- Was the best I have ever seen on a cruise ship.
This was our 4th cruise and each was on a different line. My
favorite was the first show of Andrew Lloyd Weber's music. The
magician and juggler were very good.

Laundry- They have self serve laundries that cost nothing but
you have to bring soap. Ask at reception because they are hard to
find and you have to go through crew only doors. Ours was by room
5100. Make sure you read instructions first as they are different
from machines at home.

Ports- If you want to do Dunn's River Falls it is so easy to do
on your own and much cheaper. They have taxis waiting at the pier.
Round trip was 4.50 per person. Admission was 10.00 per person. You
can rent a locker for 8.00 and get 3.00 back when you turn in the
key.

Grand Cayman- we went to Royal Palms. It cost 3.00 pp to get in
and 3.00 pp for taxi. They rent chairs and mats, paddle boats, jet
skis. You can even parasail. Very nice beach. Even have a Subway
there.

Costa Maya - Very nice facility with shops, pool, and folk
shows. Spent the day by the pool and shopping. Very good snorkeling
on the opposite side of pool area. The men in our group chartered a
fishing boat. Went to plaza and set it up right there. They were
taxied to boat and taken on a 3 hour fishing trip. They caught
barracuda, grouper and other. Drinks were included in the price. I
think it was 320.00 for 8 people.

Cozumel- Planned on going to Chankanaab Park but never made it.
Heard the snorkeling was great but no beach to lay out on. Went to
play mini golf at Cozumel Mini Golf. We had a great time. It is
owned by a couple from the US. They were very friendly. You can
walk to it from the dock. It takes about 10 minutes. Costs 7.50 per
person. They give you walkie talkies to order drinks. It is pretty
challenging with the roughs and contours. If your looking for
something different to do this is it. We had 8 teens with us and
they loved it. Located on Calle 1 and 15th. It opens at 11:00 am
ships time.

Overall we had a great cruise. Shows were excellent, food was
outstanding, ship was beautiful. It was a dream come true for our
family.

I sailed the Western Caribbean itinerary on the Norwegian Dawn
from March 15-22, 2003. My impressions about different areas of the
cruise and service are below:

EMBARKATION: F- Without a doubt the Embarkation (and to a lesser
extent the disembarkation) was the most poorly run part of the
cruise as well as being one of the most poorly run embarkation
processes that I have experienced. I can not emphasize how poorly
run this was. When you walk into the pier, there are two lines, one
for US citizens and one for non-US citizens. After finishing in
that line, we were directed to another line to go into the main
waiting area. After we went into the main waiting area, we waited
in third line to pick up our room keys/sail and sign cards which
went most of the way around the terminal room. After receiving
rooms keys, we were directed to yet a fourth line to wait to go
have our pictures taken and then to a fifth line to go through
security for our unchecked baggage. I don't understand how Disney
and Carnival can do this in less than 30

minutes yet it took Norwegian over 90 minutes. Anyway, this was a
waste of time, Norwegian staff was barely friendly and the
personnel from the local security company were rude and very slow.

STATEROOM/MAID SERVICE: B+ We were in Room 5596 which was by the
mid-ship elevator on the second level of passenger rooms. This was
a Category "D". There were three of us in the room which had two
twin beds pushed together to make a queen and a top bunk. While the
room was cramped, it was well cleaned, had two desk areas, ample
draw space and a great bathroom area. Showers had sliding glass
doors, had plenty of hot water and plenty of water pressure. There
was a 13 inch television for in room entertainment which included
CNN, ESPN, a selection of TV favorites and of course, the "Front of
the Ship" channel. The room steward was out of sight but not out of
mind. The rooms were cleaned well every AM and turned down and re
cleaned in the PM. Two of the days there was one person in the room
until at least 1:00 PM and even though the steward was "off duty",
the room was still cleaned well.

REST OF SHIP: A+ The Dawn had only been sailing for three months
and the ship was ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL! There is a state of the art
theater, as well as multiple lounges. Crew does a great job keeping
the ship clean and it was a real pleasure to be on this ship.

KIDS CAMP N/A The last two cruises I have been on, I have had a
child..not this one though! I did manage to pick up a copy of the
schedule for the kids and it seemed to be packed with activities.
During the cruise I spoke with some parents who had kids with them
and the response was universal that the kids were having a great
time and could not wait to be with the kids camp.

RESTAURANT/FOOD A+ There are 10 restaurants on the Dawn, most of
which are free of charge. A few of the restaurants charge a cover
fee/a la carte for dinner. We ate at a different restaurant for the
first six nights and decided to revisit the Italian venue for our
last evening. Wait staff was always pleasant, friendly and eager to
assist in any way possible. My favorite was Le Bistro which is a
French restaurant. This is one of the places that charges a cover
charge ($12.50 per person). Most mornings we ordered room service
and our order was always delivered in less than 20 minutes.

STAFF/CREW/CUSTOMER SERVICE: A- With some occasional exceptions,
staff and crew were very friendly and tried to respond to
questions, concerns and complaints. I had ordered flowers for one
of the members of my party which arrived late, without a greeting
and with some of the roses broken. I called and spoke with someone
at the reception desk who passed on the problem to the Front Office
Manager. by later in the day, the issue had been addressed. The
office manager informed us there was not anything she could do
about the flowers, however she offered to buy us dinner at Le
Bistro any night we wanted. When we arrived for dinner, we were
also given a bottle of wine to enjoy with dinner.

ENTERTAINMENT: A- Again this was wonderful during the entire
week. There was a show of Andrew Lloyd Weber's music, Bollywood
(County of India theme) and South Beach (Latin) theme. These
productions were about one hour long each and were spectacular. One
night there was a ventriloquist (who used audience members as his
"dummies" and another night a very high energy juggler/comedian who
was superb. The only bad note was a comedian from New York who just
did not seem to connect with the audience and spent most of the
time trying to insult people who were on the cruise. The first
night NCL did Kareoke, it went over so well that they did it again
every night thereafter. I spent the first three nights listening
late into the night to a former record company VP turned
songwriter/singer sing folk and country with his acoustic guitar.
He was absolutely great and it was a great way to spend late
evenings. There was a piano player in another lounge and there were
always lots of people enjoying his show as well.

SHORE EXCURSIONS: B- We signed up for Shore Excursion in Ocho
Rios, Jamaica and Georgetown, Grand Cayman. When we got to Grand
Cayman, the sea was too rough for the tender boats to safely load,
unload and transport people from the ship to shore so we were not
able to go ashore that day. In Ocho Rios, I signed up for a Dolphin
Swim and Dunns River Falls. While the sites themselves were
exciting, the organization was lacking and the name of the dolphin
excursion is misleading. We were ushered onto a bus that first took
us to Dunns River Falls. As soon as we got off, those in our party
were told that we were being sent to the dolphin swim first. Well
when we got there, we had to wait almost two hours for our turn
because we had just missed the groups that had gone in. When we did
get to go in, we did not really swim with the dolphins, rather we
were in the water, treading water when the dolphin came in the area
and did some tricks and gave each person a kiss. After noon, we
went to Dunns River Falls where we climbed the falls along with
many other people. This part was very very exciting and somewhat
challenging. I recommend it highly. by the time we finished both
parts of the tour, a 3 hour tour had taken almost 6 and we were
ready to go back to the ship.

GAMBLING: C We did not spend much time in the Casino but I
played some video poker.a game at which I usually hold my own and
come close to breaking even when I have played in Las Vegas. It
seemed that these machines were set a little tighter as it took
virtually no time to lose my first $20 so I gave up while I was
ahead of the game. Then again, maybe I just stank that night and
played poorly..BINGO cards are extremely over priced compared to
other cruise lines and their scratch off type lotto cards which are
$5 a piece and guaranteed to be a winner every time. Throughout the
entire seven days, I heard of only three occasions (which were
announced over the loud speaker) of someone winning more than $1 on
the guarantee "win".

DISEMBARKATION: D Another disaster but not quite as bad as the
first day. Like many lines, NCL uses color coded tags, but tags are
distributed according to the time of your plane departure. The
people who were required to report to US Immigration early in the
morning did and debarkation should have begun on time at 9:00 AM.
It began at 9:45 AM and since we had our car at the pier, we were
not allowed to disembark until after 11:00 AM. Even after our tag
color was called, we still had to stand in a 15 minute line to get
off the ship.

OVERALL B+/A- The Dawn is a great ship to sail on. She is brand
new, beautiful, friendly crew and overall great entertainment. It
seems that NCL has not yet mastered the little things that separate
a very good cruise from an excellent or near perfect voyage. On the
day we were supposed to call at Grand Cayman but could not due to
sea conditions, the cruise staff quickly put together alternative
activities and made the best of an unfortunate situation. I would
definitely sail again on the NCL Dawn.hoping some of the current
problems might have been resolved by then.

My wife and I sailed on the Dawn with her sister and
brother-in-law on March 8th. I would first like to thank all the
people who wrote reviews which I read over and over to get info.
These reviews really helped me have a great cruise. I have to say
straight out the ship is fantastic. This was our sixth cruise with
all five previous trips on RCCL. I only tried Norwegian because our
group of friends who we have always cruised with could not do it
this year so I thought my wife and I would try free style. I like
to eat before 7:30pm each night so we had no problem being seated
when we wanted. To keep me from going on too long I will just list
the good and bad as we experienced it.

- The food was as good or better than what we have had on other
cruise ships. Now maybe we were lucky with our choices but we ate
in all the resturants except the Bambo. I will state that I would
not pay the $17 surcharge at Cagneys again. The food

was great but not worth the additional charge. I say this because
of the quality at the free resturants. On the other hand the Bistro
is not to be missed. My favorite meal was the Sea Bass at Aqua. We
really enjoyed going to a different place for dinner each night.
The other reviewers are correct that if you wait till after the
first show and eat around 8:30pm you will probably have a half hour
wait. But there is a neat lounge with a piano player right outside
Impressions and Aqua so relax and enjoy the entertainment while you
wait.

- The entertainment was by far the best we have ever experienced
except for the night we saw the Fifth Dimension on the Enchantment
of the Seas. I had expected good shows based on the reviews I read
but I never expected this good.

- The service on board was very good but then I have never had
bad service on a cruise ship. Usually if something goes wrong, and
if your nice, they will make it right We had a few foul ups but
they were all taken care of. I splurged on this trip and got a
mini-suite on deck 11. The consierge, Sara, could not have been
nicer. She went out of her way to take care of me. Our cabin
stewart, Santiago, did an excellent job and I gave him a little
extra at the end. The idea of having the tips added to your bill in
no way deminished the service.

- As I stated we stayed in a mini suite (11168) in the aft on
the starboard side. In my opinion the extra money spent was well
worth it. We enjoyed a balcony for the first time and I will find
it difficult to cruise without one again. The Spa in the rear of
deck 11 is beautiful and I used the lap pool and hot tub each
morning. Sitting in the hot tub and looking out the rear glass wall
at the ocean was therapy for a tired soul.

- We sailed the eastern Caribbean and we liked it better than
the western. My favorite excursion was the Catamaran sail and
snorkle trip in Tortola. Great snorkling. Lynne hurt me in
St.Thomas with the purchase of a ring but she and her sister had a
great time shopping for it. Magens Bay is breath taking. Some
people had stated that they could have done without the stop at San
Juan but we took a tour of the city and the capital building and
the fort of San Cristabol ( I know I butchered that spelling) were
worth the trip.

As you can tell we had a great cruise and I highly recommend
this ship. The only negative was the long wait to get on which was
due to customs not clearing the ship on time. They were an hour
late when we arrived back also. I lost at the casino but the
dealers were polite and interesting to talk to. by the way, for the
show Ballywood I recommend you sit in row five about midway in.
There was a good mix of young and old on board. I turned 55 on the
cruise and the young college students on board for spring break
were great to be around.

This was my 13th. cruise and I was very impressed with NCL's new
ship. I don't know if the free style dining is for me. I think for
families it is ideal but I prefer the personal touch having the
same dining waiter. The food was good and plentiful. There were
eleven in our party and we did find it difficult getting seated
together. I didn't go to any specialty restaurants as I feel a
cover charge is not appropriate when you are paying a lot for the
cruise. My cabin was nice, a bit smaller than I expected. Upon
booking, our travel agent erred by not understanding there are no
connecting staterooms in the inside category. This created a
problem but not the fault of NCL.

The entertainment in the theatre was excellent, well worth
seeing. I also liked the music in the main area of the ship. I
found the NCL staff very pleasant and helpful especially the staff
in the children's program. They were exceptional. The poolside bar
could have used a bit more help in peak periods as the ice cream
was served here

as well and it was very difficult to get a lounge around the pool
unless you were up and out very early. I would recommend this
cruise but can honestly say I prefer the more personal touch.